Ultranormal

  • Flickr Wandering

    Whenever I’m stuck for something to do (like it’s 7:45 on a Thursday morning, I’m stuck on the kitchen computer, and not awake enough to think straight), I like to wander Flickr. I usually start with the most interesting photos of the last 7 days page, find someone I’ve not seen before, and then crawl through their photostream. Today, I found a great portrait photographer who apparently lives in Baltimore. His portraits are funny and beautiful (there’s one of a pug dog on a pink lawn chair that’s priceless). He also has an amazing photo of Muhammad Ali.\
    Sometimes, I try to find people from the same country. Right now, two of my favorite Flickr-tographers are hkvam and _rebekka. They both have breathtaking landscape shots of Iceland. Oh, and I want one of these. (you can buy some of them, and am wondering if Jen would ever let me do this.\
    Brian wants to go play now.

  • Car Time

    It’s time to buy a new car to replace the Blazer. Yes, it’s time to leave the land of the SUV and get something that’s a little more fun to drive. The Blazer was good until it started having fun (and expensive) electrical issues. Apparently, they all do that. Why do they have to do that?\
    I haven’t had time to go test drive anything, so my experience in other cars has been reduced to rentals on trips (Ford Taurus: bleagh, Buick Century: I moved down a class just to avoid you, Pontiac G6: more later, Ford Focus Maxx: you were kind of fun, but I think that’s because you were in France). Here’s my initial list, which will get pared down once I start test driving and doing “real” research. You should get some idea of what I’m looking for from the list. If there’s anything you think I should add to the list, please post a comment. It’s got to be under \$20k, have relatively low miles, get reasonable mileage, fit two boys in the back and be fun to drive. Here’s my initial list:

    • Pontiac G6: I rented one on my last trip to Mountain View, and it was actually a really nice car. It was zippy, comfortable and the controls were pretty well laid out. I kept trying to find things I hated about it because it’s a Pontiac, but I really didn’t find anything. Plus, I can probably get a 2005 and come in under budget.
    • 2003 Nissan Maxima: I don’t like the redesign. How is the Maxima different from the Altima now? But, I dig the 2003-2004 model. That’s a unique and cool looking sedan.
    • 2003 Volvo S60: I rode in a friend’s S80 a couple years ago and it was really nice. Plus, I really like the looks. I would go for the S40, but the review I just read says it’s cramped inside, which is bad (in case you missed it, I’m not a small man).
    • 2003 Audi A4: I love the way Audis look, especially the newer ones. If I had no budget at all, I’d get a new S4. But, I have a budget. The ratings I just saw didn’t look so hot, but I’m willing to dig some more.
    • 2006 Honda Civic: I read the “car of the year” review in Car and Driver in a waiting room, and it was compelling enough to check out. They’ve got a good reputation for reliability, and the new one looks good.\
      There you go… that’s the list. Anything I should add?

  • Mr. Mom

    Jen’s left me, left me for Mississippi for almost a whole week. Her parents (without my permission, mind you) decided that moving to the deep deep South was a good idea. I, of course, having lived there, tried to talk them out of it, but I lost. Jen’s down there helping them unpack and move in, which means I’m here with the boys.\
    It’s harder than it looks, getting a kindergartner ready for school and to the bus stop on time. It’s not all that easy to hang out with a 22-month old all day either. I had no idea how many changes of clothes Brian goes through in day. The kid is a mess machine. I think he’s been training for over a year for this week and is unleashing the combined force of his cuteness and mess-making skills all at once.\
    That said, it’s not all that bad. Brian helped me clean up the Amazing Fake Easter Grass Disaster of 2006 this morning. He got really into picking up the pieces of grass, yelling with little boy joy every time he found another piece, then running back and putting it into the bag. We cleaned up all the grass, then played a couple rounds of Tiger Woods, then changed his clothes again and went to pick Max up from the bus stop. After that, it was off to Amphora, where Brian covered 60% of his body with ketchup after I left the wipes in the car. I led him, like a leper, to the bathroom cleaned him up, and now we’re at home, and it’s nap time (time for me to get some work done).\
    I wish I could take a nap… pray for me.\
    (oh, and the first episode of Season Two of Doctor Who was awesome.)

  • Doctor Who and You

    I know, Jen usually does the TV evangelisation here, but it’s my turn. If you’re not watching Doctor Who on SciFi, you’re missing out. It’s a genuinely fun show. It’s not as morose or self-serious as Battlestar Galactica (which I love), and the special effects are decidedly British, but the stories and the acting are excellent, and the fun factor is way up there. We’re heading into the real meat of season one now, with the four or five best episodes coming in the next month or so (the next two are great, but the two best, the two-part Empty Child storyline, are the absolute best episodes – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll pee yourself).\
    If you’re like me, you’ve already watched season one because you’ve discovered the joys of the internet. If so, you can go download the first episode of season two right now. It premiered last night on the BBC, which means it’s out there on the internet, waiting for you to grab it.\
    Now, I’m not normally a pirate. I’m really not. But, if it’s not available on US TV, or I’ve already paid for it and am out of town (like Sopranos), I have no problem downloading it. Do I download movies? Nope. Music? Nope. But, TV? If it’s not out on DVD, or I can’t get to it because I’m not at home, it’s fair game. I subscribe to HBO. I buy the DVDs when they come out (check it out, I’ve already pre-ordered Doctor Who season one from Amazon). So, MPAA, suck it. I’m just a fan who wants to watch your show. If you won’t give me a timely and convenient way to do it, I’ll find my own way.

  • He laughed out loud too.

    Kev finally caught up on the last few weeks of Veronica Mars episodes. (Yes folks, that is how hard and long he has been working, he couldn’t even watch the best show on tv.) He laughed so much, it was fun to re-watch it with him. He had different favorite lines than I did, but was still surprised they got a shocker reference in there again and a dirty Sanchez reference.\
    I am going to visit my parents and help them unpack from their cross-country move, so you will be without my VM pimpings for awhile. (It’s sad, I know.) Hey, maybe I can get Kev to do a little pimping for me.\
    Just remember: Watch Veronica Mars on Tuesdays at 9 pm on UPN. (Due to possible local affiliate pre-emptions for sports, be sure to check your local listings. The episodes are aired later the same night or on the weekends.) There are only 3 episodes left until the season finale. If you haven’t seen the show before, it isn’t too late to start. I still have no clue who the killer is, and I can’t wait to find out. I also don’t know what is going on with Beaver or his older brother, Dick. All this and the other mysteries will be solved by the finale. Check it out!

  • Yay for me, too bad for you.

    I have the best husband in the world. Yay!

  • His pants are totally on fire!

    Tom Cruise, in his interview with Diane Sawyer, said, “…you can be Catholic and be a Scientologist. You can be Jewish and be a Scientologist. But we’re just Scientologists.”\
    This totally makes me cry because it goes against the teachings of Scientology. I can’t help but think of all of the harm that false statement may do.

  • I Know Something!

    Today is a banner day. No, it’s not because the cold I’ve had for four days has reached Biblical mucous proportions (if Pharoah hadn’t relented, it would have been the next plague: multi-colored, never-ending mucous). It’s not that I’ve had three days off in the last thirty. It’s not that I’ve interviewed two kids out of college in the last week who are actually curious and qualified. It’s not that I’ve forgotten how to sleep.\
    What is it? It’s that today, April 13th 2006, I knew something about javascript and the DOM that Mr. Javascript didn’t know, and I got to tell him what it was. What was it? Well, it’s this horrible little Internet Explorer quirk where it won’t let you update the text of a style element with the normal ways (you know, appending a text node, or gasp using innerHTML). You have to use node.styleSheet.cssText to get or change the text. Isn’t that crazy?

  • I laughed out loud. It was more of a guffaw, really.

    Best Veronica Mars line of the night was from Mr. Wu: Not all well-dressed, articulate, detail-oriented men are gay. Many of them are just… Asian.\
    Though Dick’s, “It’s not me, it’s Wu,” was also laugh-out-loud worthy.

  • Yea, baby!

    Veronica Mars is on tonight at 9pm on UPN! YAY! It’s moving to Tuesdays to be closer to me. Isn’t that sweet of it?